Pop quiz: What does the carton of milk in your refrigerator and the car seat in your minivan have in common? They both have an expiration date. Though you might have mastered your car seat safety class when you left the hospital (who knew putting on the five-point harness involved so much skill?), there’s one component of car seat safety that is not often discussed: car seat expiration dates. While you may not have heard a lot about this issue, making sure you are using a car seat that has not expired is more important than you might think.
Why Do Car Seats Expire?
Though car seats don’t go rancid the way food does, the components inside degrade over time, which can pose a serious safety hazard for your little one. “Car seats use impact-absorbing foam to reduce crash forces. Over time, this foam breaks down and loses its effectiveness,” explains Brian Sabelka, the creator of Car Seat Answers. “To ensure a car seat will protect as it was designed to, the manufacturer sets an expiration — typically six to nine years after it was made — at which point the car seat is no longer safe to use.” In addition to the protective foam, different plastics also deteriorate over time, according to Heather Watson, a child passenger safety technician and instructor who also writes for the Car Seat Blog. She says that the “plastics break down over time,” which can “vary from car seat to car seat” depending on the materials used. That’s why expiration date windows differ between brands.
What Can Happen If I Use an Expired Car Seat?
At first glance, using an expired car seat may not sound like a big deal. However, the consequences of using an expired car seat may be dire. Because the structural integrity of the seat has been compromised, the car seat can crumple in a crash, or small fractures throughout the product may result in it operating incorrectly. Parents have to be aware of the integrity of the belts as well. Rigid straps can cause broken bones or other serious injuries during something as simple as a fender bender. On the other hand, belts that have loosened over the years may not be able to keep children secure in the event of a collision. They also could easily slip out of place, leaving the straps pressed against vulnerable parts of a child’s body.
When Do Car Seats Expire?
Car seats typically expire between six and nine years from the manufacture date. If you want to make sure your car seat is still approved for use, there are several places you can check to see if your seat is expired. Sabelka says worried parents and caregivers can look for “a sticker beneath or on the side of the seat, which lists the date of manufacture along with other information such as the serial number.” If there’s no sticker, check to see if the dates are stamped into the plastic. There should be an explicit expiration date present. If you can’t find this information for any reason, check the owner’s manual or contact the manufacturer directly.
The concept of car seat expiration may sound a little weird, but making sure your car seat has not passed this important date is actually a big safety concern. If you bought your car seat secondhand, are using a hand-me-down or just want to give yourself some peace of mind, make sure to check your car seat’s expiration date, and if you find it has passed, replace the seat immediately.
And read about Choosing the Right Car Seat From Babyhood Through Kindergarten.
Amanda Kondolojy is a full-time freelancer with more than a decade of caregiving experience.
